L. Jean Lewis facts for kids

Laura Jean Lewis, born around 1954, is a former senior investigator for a government agency called the Resolution Trust Corporation. She is known for starting the investigation into something called the Whitewater controversy, which involved former President Bill Clinton.

Lewis grew up in Houston, Texas. Her father was a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Army. She studied political science at Sam Houston State College.

Laura Jean Lewis: An Investigator's Story

Early Life and Career

Laura Jean Lewis joined the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) in 1991. The RTC was a government agency created to help manage problems with banks that had financial difficulties. She worked as a senior investigator in their office in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Whitewater Investigation

One of Lewis's jobs was to investigate a bank called Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan in Little Rock, Arkansas. This bank was owned by James McDougal. McDougal had been a business partner with Bill and Hillary Clinton in a land development project called Whitewater. This project was located in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas and did not succeed.

When the connection between the Clintons and McDougal became public news, Lewis focused more closely on the Madison Guaranty case. In September 1992, she sent information to the FBI. This information named Bill and Hillary Clinton as people who might have important details about the Madison Guaranty case.

At first, the U.S. Attorney and the FBI decided that the information she provided did not have enough evidence to proceed. However, Lewis continued to work on the case. Between 1992 and 1994, she sent more information about the Clintons to the authorities. She also contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office in Little Rock and the Justice Department about the case.

Lewis later spoke before a special committee in the Senate, called the Senate Whitewater Committee. She shared what she had found during her investigation.

Later Career

In 2003, Laura Jean Lewis was given an important role in the United States government. She was appointed as the chief of staff for the Inspector General's Office at the Pentagon. The Inspector General's Office checks how government money is spent and makes sure rules are followed.

In February 2004, she gained attention again. Her office was tasked with looking into contracts given to a company called Halliburton.